Which fruits to eat and avoid during pregnancy?

What you eat during pregnancy will impact your and your baby’s health. If you follow a healthy diet, you will have a healthy pregnancy, and your baby will develop properly. In order to meet your nutritional requirements, you should eat healthy foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But you can’t just eat any fruit or vegetables. While there are many fruits that are recommended to eat during pregnancy, there are also certain fruits that are not safe for consumption during pregnancy.

Eat the local seasonal fruits. Fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. They keep your energy levels up and are good for your skin and hair health during pregnancy.

Fruits are known to be the best appetisers as they are both healthy and perfect food items when craving sugar. Pair them with yoghurt, in smoothies, as a snack or a salad; the choice is yours. Let’s check some healthy fruits you should not skip on during pregnancy.

Fruits good for you

• Apples – Research has shown that eating apples while pregnant may protect your baby from developing asthma and allergies later in life.
• Bananas – Bananas should be considered the super-food during pregnancy. They are a good source of potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin C and fibre.  The high fibre helps fight constipation during pregnancy, while vitamin B6 provides relief from morning sickness.
• Oranges – Oranges help you stay hydrated. They’re also a great source of folate, or folic acid. They provide plenty of nutrients and are a rich source of vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, potassium, and more. . Folate is a B vitamin that’s very important in helping prevent brain and spinal cord defects in the baby.
• Pomegranates – A great source of source of vitamin K, folate, iron, calcium, fibre, and protein, pomegranates are good for pregnant women. This fruit strengthens the bones, decreases the risk of placenta injury, and maintains iron content in the body.
• Berries – Berries are rich in fibre, antioxidants, vitamin C, and carbohydrates. Nutrient-dense berries help increase the immune system, absorb iron, and are a good source of energy.

There are some fruits that may not do any good to your body. Some fruits have even been known to affect the foetus’s health, while others can lead to a miscarriage. Here is a list of fruits that you should not eat during pregnancy.

Fruits to avoid

• Papaya unripe or semi-ripe – They are abundant in latex, which promotes early uterine contraction. This may result in a miscarriage and large amounts of papain can trigger early labor.
• Grapes – In limited consumption, grapes aren’t just safe but also extremely healthy. This is because grapes are a natural source of minerals, vitamins and other key nutrients. Much like anything, however, overeating them will harm your body. Grapes are rich in a natural sugar called fructose which, if not monitored during gestational diabetes, can aggravate it and cause harm.

Lastly, some fruits may have a higher sugar content, which can contribute to gestational diabetes or other medical conditions. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes may need to limit their intake of fruits that are high in natural sugars, such as grapes, and mangos, and instead choose fruits that are lower in sugar, such as berries, apples, and citrus fruits.

So, continue taking fresh fruits in moderation, with special emphasis on low glycaemic fruits like apples, pears, oranges, peaches, etc. Fruits to avoid during pregnancy with gestational diabetes include high-sugar content fruits or dried fruits like raisins, mangoes and cherries.